Should Christians Support Israel?

 

Should Christians Support Israel?

If you take Gen 12:1-3 and Zech 2:8 seriously you should. 

Zechariah 2:8

[8]For thus says the Lord of hosts, "After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.

One does not have to be a black belt to know that there is a reason why eye gouging is forbidden in any contact sports (the legal ones anyway). You can strengthen any muscles you have but not the eyeballs. Some are naturally endowed with bulging eyes but I don't think that affords them additional toughness. If anything it adds to a target area. Almost all self defense systems incorporate eye gouging in its repertoire because no matter how big the assailant is, his eyes remained soft. Of course if you miss or do it half-heartedly you will only enraged the guy, and well... NOW imagine doing it to God's "apple of the eye" (pupil).

Gen 12:1-3 formed God's policy regarding Israel. This provides the framework on how Gentiles (that is you and me) should relate with Israel. Israel' blessing as a people does not depend on her natural goodness or industriousness or other meritable acts but because God graciously formed a covenant with Abraham:

Genesis 12:2

[2]And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;

Its ultimate fulfillment will be in the millennium but I don't know of any passage that says the Abrahamic Covenant is not in effect in our dispensation. If it still is, and I believe it is, then one has to pay attention to its blessings and curse clause:

Genesis 12:3

[3]And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

I don't know about you but I wanted to be blessed and not cursed. God is seriously saying that those who take or treat lightly He will punish. And I am not going to argue against a verse that historically proved reliably true since time immemorial. The Jews are still here, and yet where are the Assyrians, the Edomites, the Moabites and all the peoples that dare lift her fingers against God's pupil? I will be interested if you have any updates on them. 

Israel is the only nation that has a title deed guaranteed by God. Frankly the Bible has no interest with Gentiles in the OT except as they interact with Israel. And the clause always work: those who bless her are blessed and those that cursed her, well... do we have the updates available now? 

God chose Israel to be the nation that will demonstrate to the world that there is one true God and that this God is a God of justice, love and grace. She is supposed to say, "Come and see the goodness of God." Nations are supposed to look at Israel and say, "I wanted to have what you have, what is the trick?" Then she is supposed to say, "In a word, God." Of course she wasn't always faithful. You can read the OT for her track record of infidelity. And when God Himself came to visit in the flesh, she rejected her, Jn 1:11, and crucify her with her Gentile lover-masters, Acts 4:27. But guess what she may be in practice a Lo-ruhammah and a Lo-ammi but positionally Paul still called them His people:

Romans 11:1-2

[1]I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

[2]God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

The whole point of Rm 9-11 is God is not through with His people. In Rm 8:37-39, Paul argued that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate a believer from the love of God. Someone objected how about Israel? Paul took a dispensational detour to say God isn't done with Israel, that as a proof the APOSTLE TO THE GENTILE is a Jew, even a Benjaminite, that God's election of (and calling of and gifts to) Israel in grace cannot be revoked, and that even though at the present time they are enemies for the gospel's sake they are still beloved (Rm 8:37-39) for the sake of the fathers (thank you Gen 12:1-3). That is why Gentile believers who looked down on Israel in her current status ought to fear if the beloved nation which naturally is grafted to the Abrahamic blessings is removed so the wild Gentile branches can be grafted in, what makes you think you won't be removed being unnatural so that natural ones can be grafted back? 

In Galatians Paul recognized that there is an Israel of God. It does not refer to the Church (that is basic people group distinctions in 1 Cor 10:32) but to the Jewish believers in Christ for these are the true Israelites (Rm 9:6). See only Jewish believers will fully enjoy the Abrahamic blessings in the millennium, they are the only ones who comprised the election of grace and the ones who actually fulfill their calling as the people who shout his praises in darkness. And their non believing Jewish brothers will benefit, though not fully for Gen 12:2-3 covers all Jews, believers and unbelievers alike.

So should Israel be supported by evangelicals? My answer is yes! Sure we don't support her rejection of the gospel (a report reached me that after debating with a conservative Christians/Messianic apologetic ministry, the Jewish rabbi sued the ministry), sure we don't support her when she contradicted the gospel (after all she is an enemy, Rm 11:28) but when it comes to the issue of her right to the land, her right to exist, her right to self-defense and her right to protect citizens by violently stopping those who used violence to cancel (a useful woke word) her, ALL BIBLICALLY INFORMED CHRISTIANS SHOULD SUPPORT HER.

(Kung gusto ninyo ng karagdagang impormasyon, bisitahin ninyo kami. May pagtitipon kami sa Dahat, kada Linggo, alas 8:30-10:30 am. Sa Amoguis, 1:00-3:00 pm. Sana manampalataya kayo at kita-kita tayo.)